Free dental check

August is dental month at Hall Vet Surgery.
Bring your cat in for a free dental check this month and learn how to keep her mouth and teeth clean and healthy.

Phone us a few days ahead to make an appointment.

Dental health is essential to overall health in our cats. Learn more about cat teeth problems and keeping cats' mouths healthy on this blog.

Cats hide pain from us. Often they have just got used to a level of dental pain and infection that soon cripple us!

Make sure your cat is happy, healthy and pain free. Phone for an appointment during Hall Vet Surgery dental month

Tooth decay

Many cats suffer holes in the teeth where the teeth meet the gums. These  neck lesions, or FORLS, are intensely painful.
Cats with bad mouths show less interest in food. Some approach the food bowl eagerly but then pain overcomes hunger and they leave most of the food. They chew cautiously, drop food from the mouth, or swallow with difficulty. Dribbling, blood-tinged saliva, and bad breath are common.
Reluctance to eat leads to weight loss.
Tartar builds on the holes and rubs the inside of the cheek causing further pain. Severely affected cats paw their mouths or shake their heads.
The only effective treatment is extraction of the affected teeth under general anaesthesia.
Most people comment that their cat is much happier and more relaxed afterward. The short-lived pain of extraction is much less severe than the chronic and intense pain of the tooth neck lesions. We can prevent the pain of extraction but not the pain of neck lesions.
The cause of neck lesions is unknown. However, good dental health and a healthy diet help preserve teeth as long as possible. Regular veterinary checks reveal and treat neck lesions early.
Chunks of meat and small bones such as gravy beef, rabbit or chicken carcasses, kangaroo, chop bones or chicken thighs encourage chewing and prevent the build-up of plaque and tartar. Greenies are a palatable treat that clean the teeth as well. A bowlful of special dental foods such as Royal Canin dental or Hills t/d several times a week prevent dental disease.
Chewing meat and dental biscuits stimulates the production of saliva, which contains natural antibacterial substances, and scrapes plaque and tartar from the teeth.
Calicivirus vaccination helps prevent gingivitis.

Friends for Life

The American Association of Feline Practitioners has released a fabulous new brochure for owners of older cats.  It covers signs of aging, nutrition, disease, dental care, in fact all of the issues we've been grappling with here!  Download and enjoy!!

Friends for Life brochure

Teeth and tartar

A healthy mouth equals a happy, healthy cat.  In nature cats hide pain so that predators and rivals cannot better them. 
In our homes this is a huge disadvantage.  We don't often look in our cats' mouths so we don't realise that they are hiding holes in their teeth, loose teeth, tartar or gum disease.
Cat's teeth are prone to decay at the gumline.  Rough teeth gather plaque and tartar which rub against the gums and cause inflammation and infection, resulting in loose teeth.
Cat owners are often surprised when we recommend dental work for their cats  They are even more surprised - and delighted! - at how happy and playful their cats are after bad teeth are removed and the remainder scaled and polished.
A good Australian pet dentistry site is:
Sydney Pet Dentistry

The staff at Hall Vet Surgery are happy to talk teeth any time.